Player physicals were conducted this morning, and running tests were ongoing as coach Mike McCarthy addressed the media for about 24 minutes this afternoon. Without final results from those physicals, McCarthy provided minimal insight on the status of players who missed time during organized team activity practices with injuries. But he did say everyone expected to report today had reported with the obvious exception of first-round pick Justin Harrell, who has not signed a contract. Team doctors still must examine Harrell, who is recovering from a ruptured biceps tendon, before he gains final clearance for contact portions of practice, McCarthy said.

Other notable items from McCarthy's remarks:

-- Players will have meetings from 2 to 4 p.m. today, followed by dinner at St. Norbert College, where players will stay during training camp.

-- The first 10 days of practice will focus on review, then transition to gameplanning for the preseason opener Aug. 11 at Pittsburgh.

-- Quarterback Brett Favre said in a phone call last week that he continues to recover well from ankle surgery. He may be held out of one practice on days when the Packers take the practice field twice. Favre, who also battled shoulder fatigue during OTAs, has been throwing.

-- Tight end Zac Alcorn "has the best hands on the team," and the team will continue to experiment with a number of players at that position in different offensive sets.

-- Safety Marviel Underwood (knee) was expected to be cleared at least for one practice a day, pending the results of his physical.

-- There has been no decision on live tackling during training camp. It only will be considered for goal-line drills.

-- To make up for roughly 150 lost repetitions in the new camp schedule, there may be more competitive periods, including red zone, and it's possible practices will run a little longer than a year ago.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harrell listed as a starter

First-round draft pick Justin Harrell is listed as a starter on the Packers' "unofficial" depth chart, distributed to media members this morning. UPDATE: Coach Mike McCarthy said he approved the depth chart, adding that if the season began today, Harrell would be the starter and Williams would play in the first sub-package. There are no other surprises, though it's worth noting Donald Lee is listed as the No. 1 tight end.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy's pre-training camp media address is scheduled to begin at noon. It will be McCarthy's first formal visit with reporters since organized team activity practices ended in the middle of last month.

Quarterback Brett Favre shouldn't be slowed much by off-season ankle and shoulder injuries and first-round draft pick Justin Harrell will line up with the first team when he reaches agreement on a contract, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy said during his pre-training camp press conference. McCarthy addressed a number of matters during his half-hour meeting with reporters and at the top of the list was the health of his quarterback. Favre had off-season surgery on his left ankle and experienced some shoulder soreness during the team's organized team activities in June. But McCarthy said Favre declared himself healthy heading into camp. "I talked to Brett about a week or 10 days ago and from our conversation his ankle is fine," McCarthy said. "He' wants to start throwing more to get a further evaluation of his shoulder. But as far as conditioning, he's in great (shape). I think he'll be fine. "IF we have to we can go one-a-days with him."

Harrell, meanwhile, was listed in the starting lineup on the depth chart handed out to media despite the fact he hasn't played a down in the NFL. Harrell still hasn't agreed to terms on a contract, but the Packers weren't expecting a lot of trouble getting him signed. Asked why Corey Williams, last year's starter at right defensive tackle, wasn't listed ahead of Harrell given his veteran status, McCarthy said nothing was set in stone. However, he said Harrell is first in the base defense and Williams is first in "sub" or the passing down package. ""On defense you never really have 11 starters," McCarthy said. "IF you want to get detailed, and go play a game today, we haven't taken the field yet with Justin but based on his potential if we were playing base he probably would be out there with the first base based on potential. I think Corey would have been out there with the first sub group. "But as you know, there's no starting lineup."

Among the other notable items from McCarthy:

-- Safety Marviel Underwood will be ready for the start of camp Saturday after spending the past 11 months recovering from major knee surgery. He may be limited to one practice a day.

-- Everyone who was scheduled to report did.

-- The decision to give players Wednesday off during training camp was based on McCarthy's assessment of how the off-season program went. Because he felt the team got a considerable amount of work done, he felt he could use the day to help the players recover from two-a-day practices.

-- Tight end Bubba Franks reported in better condition than he did a year ago, but he still is listed behind Donald Lee on the depth chart.

I like it that McCarthy went ahead and named the starters, with the understanding that it's not set in stone. Mike Sherman sometimes treated it like top secret information. A couple years ago, Sherman wouldn't name all of his starting O-linemen until game time on opening day.

I think Ferguson is listed on the second team because if he doesn't earn the #3 spot he will most likely be waived in favor of a younger player.

Tight end is the position that worries me most, as Donald Lee is a "starter" by default only. He didn't play well last year, but Bubba was so awful that McCarthy felt he had to shake things up a bit.

It looks like an uphill battle for Marviel Underwood, who is not even listed on the second team, but considering that his practice time will be limited as he recovers from knee surgery, this is no big surprise.

The Packers must think very highly of Harrell to pencil him in as the starter ahead of Corey Williams already. I hope he lives up to their expectations but I also hope he doesn't have the job handed to him because he was a 1st round pick.

Oh man, I'm pumped for some football. I'm not worried about this team, but I am concerned about a couple of spots, tight end and running back. If we can solve that problem, I think we have a chance to be pretty good.

Tight end Tory Humphrey went down during team drills about an hour and 20 minutes into practice. Humphrey slumped on his side and then rolled over on his back while medical personnel attended to his left leg. Humphrey was carted off the practice field with his leg heavily wrapped from the knee all the way down to his foot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jagodzinski attends practice

Former Packers offensive coordinate Jeff Jagodzinski was in attendance today. Jagodzinski, who is the head coach at Boston College, was wearing a Boston Red Sox baseball cap and standing on the field with other Packers coaches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------10,000 turn out for first practice

A Green Bay Packers spokesman estimated today's crowd at 10,000, which includes fans watching practice and participating in the Packers Experience in the Lambeau Field parking lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Williams works with No. 1 defensive unit

Some snapshots from early in today's practice:

— Although first-round draft choice Justin Harrell was listed as a starter on the preseason depth chart at defensive tackle, veteran Corey Williams was working with the No. 1 unit during drills. Colin Cole was filling in at the other defensive tackle spot in place of Ryan Pickett.
— Greg Jennings fumbled an end-around handoff from Brett Favre during team drills.
— Punter Jon Ryan consistently was booming kicks with hang times over 4.5 seconds.
— Rookie safety Aaron Rouse stripped the ball from tight end Bubba Franks during a ball-protection drill.

Driver, Pickett not taking part in full workout

All of the players on the Green Bay Packers roster showed up for practice today. Dressed in shorts and not participating in full-scale workouts were receiver Donald Driver, defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, defensive lineman Johnny Jolly and rookie running back DeShawn Wynn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Packers open training camp
The Green Bay Packers officially opened their 2007 training camp this afternoon at Clark Hinkle Field under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s. Hundreds, and more likely thousands, of fans lined the practice field fence to watch the first of 24 practices open to the public this summer.

Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly and DeShawn Wynn were on the non-football injury list today, and receiver Donald Driver failed his physical because of a shoulder injury, coach Mike McCarthy said after practice.Pickett and Jolly were placed on the list because of conditioning, and McCarthy said he was “not happy.” Wynn has an illness.
Tight end Tory Humphrey, who was hurt during practice, has an ankle injury and was taken for X-rays, according to McCarthy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kickers hit all attempts

There was no advantage gained in the first field goal period. Dave Rayner went five-for-five, making two field goals from 27 yards, one from 32 yards and two from 37. Jon Ryan was his holder.
Rookie Mason Crosby went four-for-four with all of his field goals from 32 yards. David Lonie and Ruvell Martin each held for two of Crosby's kicks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hawk blitzes rookie

Two notable items from a team blitz drill:

— Linebacker A.J. Hawk ran over rookie running back Brandon Jackson on his way to what would have been a sack of quarterback Brett Favre.
— Rookie receiver James Jones showed an ability to come back hard for the ball and make a tough catch in heavy traffic from Brett Favre.

I was listening to ESPN 1000 and a guy called in who was at the camp and said Atari bigby was all over the place a straight up ball hawk. He said James Jones had a pair of vacuum cleaners for hands catching everything thrown at him and B-Jack had a motor that wouldn't stop. John Clayton chimed in saying TT does a good job of drafting guys to fit the system and that the pack was maybe the best young team in the NFL.

-- Rookie RB Brandon Jackson's troubles weren't limited to the team period. He also needed help getting used to the blocking sled. "They put a lot of weight on there," said Jackson, the Packers' second-round pick from Nebraska. "I never had that much weight on the sled. That was my first time doing something like that."

-- Jackson was working at fullback when LB A.J. Hawk ran over him on a team-period blitz.

-- In addition to Jackson's two drops in team periods, rookie TE Clark Harris dropped a pass down the seam; RB Vernand Morency fumbled; and Charlie Peprah stripped WR Carlton Brewster after a catch.

-- CB Will Blackmon had a chance for the day's only interception, but Ingle Martin's errant pass bounced off his chest.

-- Shaun Bodiford looked about as bad as any pro receiver possibly could while trying to adjust to an Aaron Rodgers pass during 7-on-7.

-- S Marquand Manuel appeared to be at fault for a coverage breakdown that left WR Robert Ferguson wide open down the right sideline during the special-category period. QB Brett Favre underthrew Ferguson so badly, though, that Ferguson had no chance to come back and make the catch.

-- RB P.J. Pope filled in a few times with the first-unit offense while Morency and Jackson rested.

-- Blackmon, Charles Woodson, Greg Jennings, Carlton Brewster and James Jones worked on punt returns. Only Jones handled all of his cleanly amid stiff gusts of wind at Clarke Hinkle Field. Notably absent from the group was Bodiford, whose primary value was expected to be on special teams.

-- Colin Cole and Corey Williams stayed on the field when the second-team defense took the field in a 3-3 look for the start of the second team period. The rest of the unit consisted of: DE Michael Montgomery; LBs Abdul Hodge, Spencer Havner and Tracy White; and DBs Tramon Williams, Jarrett Bush, Atari Bigby, Patrick Dendy and Marviel Underwood.

-- Donald Driver, on the Packers' young receiver corps: "They’re hungry. All of them right now, they want opportunity. When you got guys like that on the team, it makes it easy so you can just go out there and do your job."

There's no manual on what a long shot needs to do to make an NFL roster during training camp, but first-year cornerback Tramon Williams wrote a chapter on it Saturday. Williams, who spent the final five weeks of last season on the Packers' practice squad, got tested deep three times during passing drills and made outstanding plays on the ball all three times. Two of the throws were to 6-foot-2 receiver Carlyle Holiday, one in which the 5-11, 182-pound Williams tipped the ball away and the other a strip from the receiver's hands. Not a bad first day for a fifth-string cornerback.

THUMBS DOWN

It was a pretty bad start for a pretty maligned group. Early in practice, Donald Lee was stripped of the ball by rookie Aaron Rouse during a ball security drill, and it all went downhill from there for the tight ends. A short time later, Tory Humphrey dropped a pass over the middle. And then he injured his left ankle during a running play and had to be taken off the field. The topper came when Zac Alcorn, who coach Mike McCarthy said Friday had the best hands of anyone on the team, failed to haul in a catchable pass from Brett Favre deep down the middle.

INJURY REPORT

Humphrey suffered what coach Mike McCarthy said was a significant left ankle injury. After practice he was seen in the locker room on crutches.

Wide receiver Donald Driver (right shoulder) failed his physical and was put on the physically unable to perform list. He will receive medical treatment until he's healthy enough to pass his physical. Rookie defensive end Larry Birdine was out with an unspecified injury.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Defensive tackle Corey Williams lined up ahead of rookie Justin Harrell on the first day of practice despite Harrell being listed No. 1 on the depth chart. Williams lined up next to nose tackle Colin Cole, who was starting in place of Ryan Pickett.

Harrell got two chances during one-on-one pass rush drills and he looked very ordinary. Guard Travis Leffew stuffed him on one of his turns and guard Tony Palmer handled him on the other.

• Cornerback Will Blackmon got off to a poor start. In one-on-one drills he got beat badly off the line of scrimmage by Calvin Russell and was lucky the ball was overthrown downfield. On another play, Shaun Bodiford twisted him around and left him in the dust with a hard juke. Later in a seven-on-seven drill, Blackmon dropped an interception.

• Brett Favre attempted close to his training camp limit of 50 throws despite coming off soreness in his shoulder. In seven-on-seven drills, he completed 6 of 8 passes with both incompletions coming on drops. In team drills, he wasn't as sharp, hitting on 4 of 8 attempts.

• Linebacker Abdul Hodge saw limited time in practice because of tendinitis in his right knee and was seen with an ice bag on his left knee during the final drill of the day.

• Former Packers offensive coordinator and current Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski watched practice from the field.

• About 30 fans had taken positions on the bleachers along the practice field at 10:30 a.m., and by 1 p.m. the fence was lined with fans. Practice started at 2 p.m. About 2,000 people watched, but a good portion of them didn't make it through the full 2-hour 20-minute workout, more than likely because of the heat.

SCHEDULE SUNDAY

The Packers will hold two practices, at 8:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
______________________________________________________________

The first day of training camp is usually filled with optimism and hope. And it is usually the only day of camp when everyone is in attendance because no one has fallen yet due to injury....Wide receiver Donald Driver watched practice at Ray Nitschke Field with a nagging right shoulder injury that he has had for more than seven months. He did not pass his physical Friday because he is lacking arm strength and therefore has been placed on the physically unable to perform list...."I'm not concerned," McCarthy said. "Like all of us (know), Donald will keep himself in excellent shape year round. It's just something Donald's coming into camp with. So, we're just being cautious with it...."
______________________________________________________________

The Green Bay Packers suffered a significant blow to their tight end position on the first day of training camp practice.Tory Humphrey, whom coach Mike McCarthy singled out last week as having one of the better off-seasons on the team, suffered a significant left leg injury and will be sidelined for several weeks....

Huffing and puffing

On Friday, McCarthy said he'd be very surprised if any of his players showed up for the start of training camp out of shape. On Saturday, he expressed his displeasure with defensive tackles Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly, both of whom were unable to finish their conditioning tests and were placed on the non-football injury list. Until they pass the running test, which requires each player to complete a series of gassers from one sideline to the next in less than 20 seconds, they won't be allowed to practice. Both broke down toward the end of their eight sprints and weren't able to make time. "I'm not happy about it," McCarthy said.

Pickett, who appeared heavier than normal but claimed he was only 2 or 3 pounds over his weight from a year ago, said it's not the first time he has failed a running test at the start of camp. He said he didn't consider himself out of shape; he just wasn't able to finish this particular test. "It's a matter of bad timing," said Pickett, who is listed at 322 pounds. "I thought I was ready. I got to the last one (sprint) and I started having headaches, and I didn't make the rest of them." Pickett said he may take the test again today and that he was confident he would pass it soon. Teammates said they weren't that concerned about him because he's a nose tackle and he's not known for being lazy on the field. He most likely will be watched closely during camp to make sure he gets in top condition. After missing off-season workouts a year ago, Pickett attended a good portion of them this year.

Jolly's failure to pass the test was more alarming given he's a second-year player who has a chance to earn some playing time. The 6-3, 312-pound tackle should have come ready to do some damage. He swore he didn't let himself go in the month between the end of the off-season conditioning program and the start of training camp. "Things happen and now I have to move on," Jolly said. "I thought I was good. I'll be fine. I'll do what the coaches want me to do and I'll be ready." Interestingly, first-round pick Justin Harrell, who signed late Friday night, didn't have to take the test before he took the field.

No comment

Linebacker Nick Barnett refused to talk about the incident that resulted in him being arrested in a downtown Appleton bar June 17. A special prosecutor is still going over evidence to determine whether charges will be filed against Barnett, who was alleged to have a physical altercation with a woman in the bar. Barnett could face NFL discipline as a result of the incident. "You know what, I don't even feel like talking," Barnett said. "Because anything I say. . . I'd rather not talk about it. I'll just play football."

Switching places

Rookie running back Brandon Jackson found himself in an unfamiliar position during practice - fullback. The Packers' second-round pick is supposed to be competing with Vernand Morency for the starting halfback job, and he is. But McCarthy wants to develop diversity with his running backs and thinks there will be times when he can use two running backs in the same backfield. Thus, Jackson lined up in front of Morency on several plays. "I laughed when they told me to do it," Jackson said. "I was like, 'Hey, whatever it takes, whatever it takes for the team to get better.'" Asked if he had ever played fullback, Jackson said, "Have I? Yes. In middle school."

Short yardage

Rookie running back DeShawn Wynn was put on the non-football injury list because of illness. Kickers Dave Rayner and Mason Crosby were perfect on their combined nine field-goal attempts. Rayner hit five, including two from 37 yards, and Crosby hit four, all from 32 yards. Safety Marviel Underwood was cleared physically and took part in the entire practice. Receiver Ruvell Martin and punter Jon Ryan held for the kickers.

-- RB Vernand Morency (knee) is day to day. General Manager Ted Thompson called the injury a contusion.
-- LB Juwan Simpson (shoulder) was injured Saturday. He was on the field in shorts this morning.
-- P David Lonie (ankle) has not kicked yet in camp.

Elsewhere ...

-- DT Justin Harrell doubled over in pain from an apparent cramp in his left calf late in practice. He briefly received attention from trainers before wrapping a towel around the leg. He did not participate in the final team period and was slimping slightly afterward, but it did not appear to be anything more serious than a cramp.

-- Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson took the first reps on punt returns in the two team special-teams periods, respectively. Will Blackmon, James Jones and Shaun Bodiford also fielded punts.

-- Jones had an impressive, sprawling catch in the third team period.

-- While Junius Coston and Orrin Thompson saw time at left tackle with the first team, Tony Moll rotated in for a period at right tackle. McCarthy said it was too early to offer any evaluation of Coston and Thompson, who are competing for a reserve spot.

-- CBs Patrick Dendy and Frank Walker each batted down passes during the 7-on-7 period.

-- Dendy worked as the nickel cornerback with the first-team defense.

-- Practice was cut about 12 reps short because of the tight end shortage. It started around 8:45 a.m. and ended at 10:27 a.m.

-- And the ever-popular passing statistics from team, blitz and 7-on-7 periods (7-on-7 in parentheses): Aaron Rodgers 15-for-21 (5-for-8); Ingle Martin 8-for-13 (5-for-5); Paul Thompson 3-for-4 (1-for-2). Rodgers took all the first-team reps. Martin worked exclusively with the second unit except in the second team period, when he swapped with Thompson.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Favre's absence

Quarterback Brett Favre missed practice this morning because of a death on his wife's side of the family that will require him to leave the team for a day or two early this week, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Favre is expected to participate in practice tonight but then leave the team perhaps as early as Monday to attend the funeral. Favre was scheduled to participate in this morning's practice but didn't so he could work with his wife, Deanna, on arrangements for his temporary leave.
_____________________________________________________________Thompson: Driver should be ready to go for preseason opener Aug. 11
Packers GM Ted Thompson said he would be surprised if WR Donald Driver, who has missed the first two practices with a shoulder injury, is not ready for the preseason opener Aug. 11 at Pittsburgh. At his post-practice news conference, Thompson also said QB Brett Favre, who missed this morning's practice because of a death in the family, likely will miss more practices for the same reason. However, that schedule and the logistics are unclear. In other news, Thompson said he would like to add another tight end at some point because of Tory Humphrey's ankle injury, but no move is imminent. Thompson also said he is not concerned about the durability of RB Vernand Morency, who sat out this morning's practice.
____________________________________________________________

Favre out of morning practice because of death in the family; Humphrey has broken ankle

QB Brett Favre missed today's morning practice because of a death in the family, Coach Mike McCarthy said. Favre is in Green Bay and may practice tonight.

In other news:

-- TE Tory Humphrey has a broken ankle. No timetable has been set for a possible return.

-- With Bubba Franks sitting out and Clark Harris and Zac Alcorn battling cramps, the Packers finished practice with only one TE -- Donald Lee.

-- McCarthy said Franks, WR Ferguson, S Marviel Underwood, T Chad Clifton, and DE Aaron Kampman all are on one-a-day schedules. Favre may miss some morning practices, too, but that will be determined on a day-by-day basis, McCarthy said.

-- DT Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett also remain day to day after failing their conditioning tests.

-- At one point during a blitz period, QB Aaron Rodgers completed five passes in a row.
_____________________________________________________________

Rookie RB DeShawn Wynn, who missed yesterday's practice with a stomach virus, padded up for the first time today but dropped out of practice. Safety Marviel Underwood, who is coming off a major injury from last season, started practice but also didn't finish. First-round draft pick Justin Harrell appeared to be suffering from a minor cramp in his left calf.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------QB Rodgers looks sharp in team drill

-- Based on running back reps, the pecking order in the absence of Vernand Morency was rookie Brandon Jackson, first; P.J. Pope, second; and Noah Herron, third.

-- Rookie TE Clark Harris didn't do himself any favors by dropping a pass in traffic over the middle. _____________________________________________________________

Ryan averages 49.6 yards in punting drills

On 10 punts, Jon Ryan averaged 49.6 yards and 4.15 seconds of hang time this morning. Ryan punted from his own 25 slightly downwind. His best punt was a 61-yarder with 4.3 seconds of hang time, but he also had a shanked kick that went 23 yards and out of bounds.

For a second straight day, Ryan was the only punter in action.

David Lonie was in shorts and didn't participate in the morning practice punting drills for undetermined reasons.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Favre, Morency sit out this morning's practice

Bright sunshine and a cloudless sky greeted the Packers at their first training camp morning practice today, which began at 8:45 a.m.

Not present at practice were QB Brett Favre, RB Vernand Morency and TE Tory Humphrey. Selected veterans generally will sit out some morning workouts during training camp. On Saturday, Humphrey suffered what is believed to be a broken left fibula during practice.

I don't know(not having been there) but it sounds to me so far as if Jones and Bigby are the only guys playing well. Luckily, Rodgers isn't looking bad either. The rest of them get a D- from me. So many of the assumed starters are either dinged up already, not physically ready, nor NFL ready. Maybe it's typical but so far I'm thoroughly unimpressed.